Latest West Virginia Headlines

All the headlines from our West Virginia Topic Page, ordered by recency.

West Virginia Coal Boss Should Face Maximum Sentence, U.S. Says

Mar 30 2016 // Former coal baron Donald Blankenship should face the maximum sentence of one year in prison for flouting mine-safety rules, prosecutors said, urging a judge to send a message to the coal industry.The government asked U.S....

West Virginia Governor Approves Stiffer Penalties for Passing School Buses

Mar 28 2016 // West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has approved increased penalties for passing stopped school buses.Tomblin signed the bill March 24. On a first offense, drivers passing a school bus that stopped to pick up or drop off...

OSHA Cites West Virginia Saw Mill for Safety, Health Violations

Mar 25 2016 // Federal regulators have cited a Princeton saw mill for alleged workplace safety and health violations, including a lack of protective equipment worn during the operation of a chainsaw. The Occupational Safety and Health...

Ridesharing Gets Green Light in West Virginia

Mar 18 2016 // Companies like Uber and Lyft can soon start offering rides in West Virginia under a new law approved by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin.The Democrat signed a bill Tuesday letting ridesharing companies operate in the state. The...

Ex-Freedom President Gets 1 Month in Prison for West Virginia Chemical Spill

Feb 18 2016 // An executive who appeared unsympathetic when he spoke to the public after a chemical spill sullied tap water for 300,000 people in West Virginia was sentenced to one month in federal prison Wednesday.Ex-Freedom Industries...

Ridesharing Bill Makes It Through West Virginia House

Feb 17 2016 // West Virginia is a step closer to letting Uber and similar companies offer rides in the state.The bill passed the House of Delegates by a 94-4 margin Monday. It next moves to the Senate. The proposal would apply to Uber,...

Ex-Freedom Industries Exec Sentenced to 1 Month for West Virginia Chemical Spill

Feb 17 2016 // A former Freedom Industries executive was sentenced Feb. 11 to one month in federal prison for a chemical spill that fouled the drinking water supply of 300,000 West Virginians.Dennis Farrell also was fined $20,000 in U.S....

A.M. Best Revises Outlook to Negative for West Virginia Mutual Insurance Co.

Feb 16 2016 // A.M. Best has revised the outlook to negative from stable and affirmed the financial strength rating of A- (Excellent) and the issuer credit rating of “a-” of West Virginia Mutual Insurance Company (WVMIC)...

West Virginia House Approves Bill Waiving Permits for Concealed Guns

Feb 10 2016 // After the bill was vetoed last year, a proposal to allow carrying a concealed gun without a permit in West Virginia passed its first major test this week.The Republican-led House of Delegates voted 68-31 on the concealed...

Company Responsible for West Virginia Chemical Receives ‘Symbolic’ Fine

Feb 8 2016 // A bankrupt chemical company responsible for a spill that contaminated a West Virginia river and fouled the drinking water supply of 300,000 residents was fined $900,000 on pollution charges Feb. 4, with a judge noting that...

Bill Legalizing Ridesharing Moving through West Virginia House

Feb 5 2016 // What a difference a year makes in the world of ridesharing. Just 18 months ago, only one state (Colorado) had passed comprehensive legislation legalizing and regulating the emerging market of transportation network...

Freedom Industries Official Sentenced for West Virginia Chemical Spill

Feb 3 2016 // A former environmental consultant at a chemical distributor was sentenced to three years’ probation and fined $10,000 Monday for a 2014 chemical spill that fouled the drinking water supply of 300,000 West...

NOAA: Recent Northeast Winter Storm 4th Most Powerful Since 1950

Jan 31 2016 // The Jan. 22-24 blizzard was the fourth most powerful snowstorm to hit the Northeast in at least 66 years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced.The agency gave the storm a rating of 7.66 on the...

State of Emergency Lifted for Most Parts of West Virginia

Jan 29 2016 // Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin has lifted a state of emergency in 51 of West Virginia’s 55 counties following cleanup of the recent winter storm.Tomblin says the declaration issued last week will continue until Friday evening...

Survey: Natural Gas Production in West Virginia Surpassing Expectations

Jan 28 2016 // A single Ohio County, West Virginia Marcellus Shale well yielded enough natural gas in 2014 to provide electricity for 24,315 homes, according to new numbers released by the West Virginia Geological & Economic...

West Virginia Town Begins Recovery From 42-inch Snowfall

Jan 27 2016 // It wasn’t quite like winning Powerball, yet the small West Virginia town of Glengary is getting a lot of attention for receiving the most snow from the recent storm: 42 inches.“Yeah, it’s cool....

West Virginia Governor to Introduce Ridesharing Bill

Jan 26 2016 // Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin is on board with letting Uber offer rides in West Virginia.Tomblin spokeswoman Shayna Varner says the governor plans to introduce a bill letting ridesharing companies, including Uber and Lyft, operate...

Southeast States Recovering from Record-Breaking Snowstorm

Jan 26 2016 // A massive winter storm that hit the Southeast and East Coast over the weekend set a snowfall record in West Virginia, caused tornadoes in Mississippi and stranded motorists on a cold highway in Kentucky overnight....

Snowy East Coast Digs Out After Massive Weekend Blizzard

Jan 25 2016 // Millions of Americans started digging themselves out Sunday after a mammoth blizzard with hurricane-force winds and record-setting snowfall brought much of the East Coast to an icy standstill.New York and Baltimore began...

West Virginia Sues Prescription Drug Wholesaler for ‘Flooding’ State

Jan 25 2016 // West Virginia’s attorney general has accused one of the nation’s largest pharmaceutical drug wholesalers of flooding the state with tens of millions of prescription pills in violation of state law.Attorney...